Morning journal and courier., 1887-03-05
THE "LrrrLE DERBx,, AGAIN.

| offers 1t.
 The committee room at the City Hall was
 fairly packed with well known citizens and
 business men last evening when the hearing
 before the committee on finance on the prop
 osition of the Housatonic Valley road to give
 $175, 900 for the ''Little Derby" was begun.
 All the members of the committee were present. Attorneys filling and Tyler, repre-
 senting the Housatonic company's interests,
 were promptly on hand with the parties they
 intended to address the committee. At 7:30
 Mayor York called the meeting to order and
 Attorney Tyler introduced ex- Mayor Lewis,
 who was duly sworn. He gave highly in-
 teresting and instructive history of the diff
 ferent railroad schemes promulgated. He
 went back to 49. He spoke of the old New
 Haven, Danbury and Erie railroad. The gentlemen who composed it's board of diree-
 tors are now all dead with the exception of two. There was incorporated two years be-
 fore the Danbury and Erie the New York
 and Boston road. The city of Middletown
 was largely interested in the New York and
 Boston. Citizens of that city subscribed as
 high as $50, 900 to $40, 900 each. The road
 was diverted from New Haven, however. | In 1878 the Air Line went into operation.
 must say the citizens of New Haven have l never come forward to aid in building rail I
 and persevering work. In 1867 and '69 fifty
 gentlemen from New York and Connecticut
 secured charter from the New York legisla-
 ture for road from Turner's Station on the
 Erie road to cross the Susquehanna bridge,
 going to the State line. This road was
 called the New England and Erie road. Gen tlemen from this State then set foot petition for a charter to build 8 road from Derby to the State line to meet the New England and Erie. But l business reyerses came. I cannot
 talk with oomplacency as I think of the
 many splendid opportunities that New
 Haven has had and foolishly let go. Take | for instance the Naugatuck road which was built in 1S49. Many of the prominent men mp the Naugatuak valley were in favor of having the road come to New Haven. It was offered to New Haven first for $100, ,000 and | latterly for $80,000, but the money was not forthcoming and this splendid chance
 was lost The road came to Bridgeport. The New Haven merchants were obliged to send their goods to their Naugatuck customers over the New York road to Bridgeport and from there up the Naugatuck. The cus- toners preferred to trade here but the merchants couldn't stand the freight charges and the trade up the Nauga- tuck valley gradually died out. Then the little Derby at cost of $1, ,000, ,O00 was built in order to get the advantages to be derived from the valley, the same advantages which were offered for $S0,000. I think this new plan of the Housatonic Valley Railroad com pany excellent one. New Haven "has got to get up and get'' if she wants to hold her own. New England is not to-day what it was forty years ago. The brightest young men are taken from their New England homes to the West. The interest of the State is to get the manufactured articles in and the material out The people and the business
 men want this change. The prosperity of the city is our interests I would not give the little Derby to the Consolidated road for S5, ,000, ,000. Neither would give it to the | Naugatuck, for we have had trouble with | them before. I think this new plan the best | for the interests of the city of New Haven. The Hon. N. D. Sperry was next sworn | and stated to the committee his views of the value of the connection and the benefits to ! be derived. After stating that the historical talk of MI. Lewis was correct, and may it be | said to New Haven's shame, MT. Sperry told how he first instituted the project for the Derby railroad. He wanted to get the mails from the Naugatuck valley. But the people wanted the merchandise from the valley and my petition failed. I then got up the sub- scriptions for the road which finally were carried. He said by the building of the Derby we were enabled to call to New Haven line of steamboats which would not have come here but for the road. Take away the Derby and this steamboat line will leave us | which would be great misfortune. This v | railroad company is of unestimable value. If the people of New Haven | were alive they would see that this project ! was carried through. I have said it was in- evitable for it to come to this. I knew it. The value of this new plan should not be measured by dollars and cents. regard it I vital that the road should be independent as it will undoubtedly be. I would not for | moment advocate this plan if l thought it |
 was for speculative purposes. There is a time when advantages are of greater value than money and this IS an instance. The 1 opening of this western outlet to our city l with all its immense sources of wealth will l be one of the greatest boons and will be of | incalculable value. Judge Luzon B. Morris-I don't zee that it l is of any great interest for the city of New | Haven to continue in the railroad business. 1 look upon this new plan of the Derby | roads connection with the New England at some point of great and incalculable value to the city. If this plan is carried out it will assure to the business men greater advan- tages and the city will undoubtedly increase in population and resources. I think it is decidedly for the best interests of the city to accept this offer of the Housatonic Valley ] company. For the matter of $25, 900 or $50, 900 which might be offered by other par ties, and thus stopping all the proposed west ern connection, would be of great damage to the city. He did not think that the legis- latare would have to be petitioned by the city for permission to sell the Derby. In his opinion the vote of the Council or the citi- zens of the city would be sufficient.
 MT. Frank c. Bushnell of the wholesale grocery firm of J. D. Dewell 6 Co.,, gave I some very interesting facts concerning the | price of freight. There are three hundred and sixty retail grocers in New Haven, said he, who are obliged to pay seven and one. half cents on every hundred pounds of beans that come from the West This is more than any other New England city. We have to pay eight cents bushel more than any other town or city in the State for beans from New York State. We have to pay into the Consolidated roads treasury eight cents extra on every bushel of beans we import from New York, whereas it would be eight cents cheaper if our business was located in Plantsville, Plainville or any other town north of us. Mir. Bushnell tn 5n instanced salt. The freight to New Haven on every barrel of salt is ffty-two cents. To Bridgeport it is forty-six cents. To Hartford thirty-six cents We thus have to pay sixteen cents more than Hartford. This is for the privi- lege of doing business in New Haven. This has all come about by the Consolidated road absorbing the Canal, which has cut off all | On every barrel of four it is thirty cents to all points in the State with the exception of Meriden. To New Haven it is thirty-nine cents. The flour goes by this city over the Shore Line to New Lon- don and is delivered there at thirty cents, anu IL Soos uP GLo AoIeAoIO Eoa1 Io haIC- | ford and it is delivered there at thirty cents, 1 but to New Haven there is nine cents more to pay on every barrel. All we want is rail- road competition. We have this neces- sary adjunct in all branches of industry in the city, among our merchants and business men, but the | competitive road is lacking. Mir Bushnell produced letters which were read from wholesale houses which his firm deals with, which were undoubted proof of the veracity of his statements. The speaker instanced transaction with the Consolidated road by which the firm requested lower rates on their fish and mackerel, but not getting it had it shipped them by boat at a rate which was 50 per cent. less than the road was doing it for, an official of which then offered to carry it for per cent. less than the steam boat line. This occurred about three years + ago., MT. Bushnell gave very forcible illus stution of the value of competitive rail
 road He a,ar,larded at good